Court fines ex-Imo council chief, others for delaying justice

A Chief Magistrate’s Court sitting in Abuja has fined a former Chairman of Orsu North Development Area of Imo State, Damian Santa-Okpara, and two others for attempting to delay the course of justice.

They are on trial for giving false information to the Inspector-General of Police (IGP).

The court fined them N15,000.

The three accused had informed the IGP that Chief Nelson Janel-Okpara had kidnapped the children of one of the accused, Edwin Obiezue, and torched his house.

But following investigation, it was discovered that the three accused hid the children at Chokocho, a village in Rivers State.

This led to their arraignment.

The defence counsel, Mr. Benjamin Nwanegbo, asked for an adjournment to enable him study the record of proceedings.

Opposing the motion, the prosecutor, Inspector Sunday Okedi said the request for an adjournment was a deliberate ploy to delay the dispensation of justice.

He urged Nwanegbo to lay the foundation for cross-examination to justify the movement of the Investigating Police Officer (IPO), Ishaku Hamman, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), from Jalingo to Abuja.

Ruling on the motion for an adjournment, the Chief Magistrate, Lamido Kabir, said the trial had suffered several, setbacks in the last four years on the side of the accused.